Wanna Grow Up
by Midnight1234
Summary: What's it like to grow up slowly and then suddenly stop? What's it like to watch as friends that are the same age grow up and die but everything is still the same? What's it like to die all alone years and years later when it should have happened years before? Natsu knows what it's like, and he hates every minute of it.


**Hiya! I had this idea for a few hours by now and decided why not make it? It's a little confusing, but near the end it kinda clear things up, but at the same time it's supposed to confuse a little and all that. I'm thinking on making a short story consisting of seven chapters where each scene is more in depth and all, and I'll do it if I get enough reviews on this saying you want this to happen, other than that I'll be a little hesitant if I should or not. Anyway, please leave a review and favorite! Farewell and Enjoy!**

**-Let there be midnight**

**I Do Nots Owns Fairy Tail**

* * *

**Wanna Grow Up**

"Oy! Natsu how old are you?" Dark green eyes squint and nose scrunches up in thought.

"Hmm… twelve." A nod.

"Really? You look ten!" Pink hair falls into dark eyes as he tilts his head.

"I do?" Eyebrows furrow together in confusion.

"Yeah." A disappointed look darkens the young features.

"Oh."

* * *

"Mind yer own business kid! What makes you think a squirt like you can defeat a monster like that?" Anger flares.

"I'm fifteen you jackass!" Muscles tense, ready to fight.

"Oh, yeah? Nice try squirt. I know a kid when I see one and yer not yet even thirteen." A big inhale.

"I'll show you who—" A hand on the shoulder cuts him off, a hand from a scarlet haired teen with armor.

"Don't worry sir, we'll make sure the monster will be out of this village in no time." An angry glare is casted in the scarlet's direction.

"Hmm, I sure hope so. Make sure that kid don't get in too much trouble, wouldn't end well with you." Mouth opens to yell, but a threatening squeeze on the shoulder is enough to stop him.

"Will do, sir."

* * *

"Natsu!" He doesn't hear the shout in his deep sleep.

"Natsu!" He grumbles, but does not awaken. A giant sized fist slams down on the table right next to where his head lays, jarring him awake.

"I swear I didn't do it!" He declares, pointing a finger in the old man's direction who just raises an eyebrow at him, but shakes it off.

"Never mind that, I was wondering." He starts, closing his eyes.

"Exactly how old are you again?" A pink eyebrow rises.

"Nineteen." A few others look in his direction, now curious. The old man nods.

"Yes, so it seems." A pause.

"Why do you wanna know?" The old man opens one eye to gaze at the pinkette.

"Just wondering is all." He mutters, the pinkette shrugging and sitting back down.

"Alright."

* * *

"Are you sure he's really twenty-five? He doesn't look to be even in his twenties!" A whisper.

"That's what he says, but he looks fifteen, doesn't he?" A reply, just a little louder, only to be shushed.

"Quiet! He'll hear us!" It's not like he doesn't have enhanced hearing already and can hear you crystal clear. But you know, whatever.

"Oh, yeah, sorry." They quiet a little, but it doesn't matter.

"How long has he looked fifteen, again?" They're back on the topic and he can't help but curl his lip up in disgust. Just a little.

"Since he was eighteen I think." He could practically hear their thoughtful nod which just fueled his anger, but he kept silent. He always kept silent to the whispers about him.

"He hasn't even grown stubble, or gotten rid of the rest of his baby fat, much less grown in height!" He was a slow grower, what could he say? Very slow. Slow to the point where it was practically none existent and stopped when he was eighteen. Okay, maybe he has stopped growing and it is weird he has no stubble and still has baby fat. What could he do about it?

"He doesn't even look a day old." This is mumbled and even with his enhanced hearing he could barely pick it up.

"Yeah, poor kid." He can't stand it anymore, so he gets up and leaves.

"Ain't my fault…"

* * *

"Kid! You'll get hurt doing that!" His hand hovers just above the fire he was going to eat, him and his friends—_friends that actually looked their age_—turned towards the man stomping over to him.

"Kid? I'm thirty! I'm not kid!" he flares in anger and he sees his friends cast wide-eyed looks to themselves from the corner of his eyes. He pretends he doesn't notice. He always pretends.

"Ha! Could've fooled me there!" He looks towards Erza and Gray who happened to be sitting next to each other.

"Watch your kid more often or you'll find yourself without one." He grumbles to them and their eyes widen at hearing that.

"They're not—" He's about to correct him, but Erza _just _had to step in.

"Your right, sir. We'll watch over him more." she says, the annoying gruff man nodding in satisfaction as he walks away.

"Hey! Why'd you tell him that?! You're not my parents! We're the same age!" He shouts at them, anger flaring up like it normally did after someone would walk up to him and say something about being a kid.

"Well, you don't look like one." Gray comments off-handedly, angering him more.

"I'll show you what a kid looks like!" Before he could punch that bastard in the face, Lucy grabs him by the shoulder and pushes him down.

"Natsu, calm down." She tries, but he gives her a hurt look.

"Calm down? How can I when for _years_ people keep thinking I'm fifteen!" He shouts and she shakes her head.

"It's hard when you _do_ look fifteen." She doesn't understand, it's clear.

"She has a point." Gray agrees. He was always a bastard anyway.

"Maybe you should start pretending you are fifteen? It will cause a lot less trouble that way." They don't understand. None of them do. He hates them. He hates them for not understanding and he hates them for being able to look their age when he cannot. So he runs.

"Maybe take a step in my shoes and see how I feel."

* * *

"It's been years." A croak. He nods.

"Yeah." He refuses to make eye contact with the dying.

"How are you not able to grow?" He doesn't know. He has never been able to known why.

"I don't know." An old sigh, ancient eyes close.

"Not a single grey hair among all that pink, and you still have your baby fat." He cringes at the truth. He always hated the truth. Always.

"I know." It comes out weak.

"Look, I'm sorry Lucy—" He stops himself. He gets all choked up. This is his last friend. All the others died from age or sickness that was caused by age, he didn't have another. She was the last to kinda understand him. He didn't want to lose her, but she was old, older than he'll ever look, older than his fifteen. He was jealous.

"Sorry for what?" Her voice is soft and tired and his heart hurts even more. He was even able to move like a fifteen-year-old and not like that ninety-five-year-old he was. He was in perfect health. It was like time literally froze on him and he was forced to endure it.

"I'm… I'm just…" He stammers, the words not really coming out as he clenches his fist.

"I'm just sorry I wasn't able to grow old with you and the others." He clenches his teeth hard so he doesn't cry.

"It's okay, Natsu…" Her voice is just a whisper as she lays a wrinkled hand on his shoulder, the warmth barely there. He finally looks into her fading brown eyes and the tears start to fall.

"You were there from the beginning to the end, what more could I ask for?" She smiles and it just makes the tears worse and puts him into a sobbing mess, eyes unable to look away from the fading brown.

"I just wish we could have both of our goodbyes." she mummers, hand slipping from his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Lucy." She faded, but he wants her to hear him anyway, he knows she could hear, or at least thinks so.

"I'll say my goodbye one day too, I swear…" His body shudders and he could no longer look at his last friend.

"I swear…"

* * *

"Oh, look…" He mutters to himself when he is unable to get up one day. It has been years. So many, he can't even count how long it has been. It has been too long.

"Is this it?" He has taken to talking to himself after a while that he doesn't even notice it anymore. It's better than the deafening silence he is forced to endure.

"But I still look young. I am not yet old." He comments as he feels his heart slowing and his limbs and eyes and mind growing tired.

"Why does this happen now?" He does wonder, even with his weakening state.

"Why not years ago? Why not with them? I wish it were with them." Tears flood his eyes as the memories from years and years before from the ones that were his age, but actually looked like the age that they were.

"I wish it was sunny today." He mummers when he looks out the window to the dark stormy rain clouds above with the flash of lightning and thunder rumbling against the sky as raindrops assault his old house. He catches his reflection in the window. Fifteen. He looks fifteen. No surprise there, he just wishes he had no baby fat, was taller, and had stubble, but he gave that wish up long, long ago.

"Guess this is it…" he mutters as he is no longer able to keep his eyes open, a small smile graces his lips as he finally lets go.

"This is my goodbye."


End file.
